A summary of the Progress Report for the Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2008

The 2008 Long Range Plan for Technology Progress Report discusses in detail the 4 key areas of the Plan.  The first area discussed is Teaching and Learning.  In this key are Texas schools have made positive gains.  The schools are moving away from being labeled as “developing tech” to being labeled as “advanced tech” schools.  The ultimate goal is to have all schools becoming “target tech” schools.  This in general means that teachers are using technology more in the classroom to “direct instruction, improve productivity, model technology skills, and direct students in the use of productivity applications for technology integration.”(Region One Education Service Center, 2008) Teachers are showing the students how to incorporate technology into their learning. The second key area discussed is Educator Preparation and Development.  Educators need to prepare to teach the new learners of today through professional development and by being equipped with the proper resources to do the job. According to the data from the progress report “There was a 20 percent drop at the Target Tech level.” (Region One Education Service Center, 2008)  This means that fewer campuses are meeting the requirements of providing professional development to ensure that all teachers are prepared for the new technology and ways to incorporate it into the technology. Hopefully Texas will make more gain in the future as a result of these findings. The third area discussed in the progress report is Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support.  This area describes how administration is supporting teachers by providing help and resources to improve the implementation of technology in the classrooms. This area has seen a positive gain in the “advanced tech” category and the “target tech” category. This increase will hopefully continue as teachers feel more supported and encouraged by their leaders.  The fourth area is Infrastructure for Technology. This area is analyzing the physical resources that are being made available to the 21^st Century learners. This category also saw positive gains as school moved towards becoming “target tech” school. So in conclusion three areas saw positive gains and one area, Educator Preparation and Development, saw a negative drop in score.

Reference:

Region One Education Service Center.  (2008). Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020.